Dog Nails - How Often To Cut

If your pet is not on concrete, blacktop, or other textured hard surface you should cut your pet's nails every four to six weeks or when the pet shows signs of needing the nails clipped.

The dog or cat's nails grow fast due to the protein in the diet. The "quick" of the nail grows with the outside nail. Because the quick (where the blood is) grows also, we need to trim extra long nails every two weeks to return the nails to a normal length. Extra long nails have to be cut a little bit at a time and can not be cut short all at once.

You may cut your pet's nails yourself or have a professional do the cutting. There are two types of nail clippers available for home use, the guillotine style and the side-cutting type. Use which ever clipper you are most comfortable with.

Should you not be comfortable with cutting the pet's nails a groomer or vet can cut them for you. A groomer usually doesn't require an appointment for this. Groomers will cut your pet's nails for you at no charge or for just a few dollars. The vet, usually, requires an appointment and often times will charge an office visit fee.

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